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Post by sarge on Oct 8, 2013 19:02:12 GMT -5
If you were in the market for a new harmonica, what would it be? I'm speaking of a harmonica from one of the major makers ie Hohner, Seydel, Suzuki, Lee Oskar, Bushman, Huang, etc. For myself I think it would be a Hohner cross over. I have heard some good reports on it.
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Post by Admin on Oct 8, 2013 21:27:24 GMT -5
I would love to try an Oskar
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Post by sarge on Oct 9, 2013 9:04:16 GMT -5
I've played a thunderbird and they are nice, but I don't think they are worth the cost. I have a low F, low D and low C, all 3 seydel harps and they are just as good and cost less. I've had a couple of the hohner 64 chromatics, great range on the 64, but a big harp, I like the 12 hole chromatics much better. I've had a couple of Lee Oskars and they played fine, but I didn't particularly care for the sound of them. My favorite harp is the old German made hohner old standby, but those are very hard to come by. I do have a couple of them that I play sometimes. It seems that harmonicas are odd in the fact that one person will really like a certain harmonica, but another person will not like that same harmonica.
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Post by AlanB on Oct 9, 2013 10:16:26 GMT -5
This is a book I purchased a couple of decades ago which, a neophyte, interesting and informative. Here's a scan of the Contents - Lord knows if the layout will be maintained.
Harmonicas, Harps and Heavy Breathers - Kim Field - Simon & Schuster 1993
Chapter 1: East Meets West 19 Chapter 2: America 33 Chapter 3: The Bands 43
Borrah Minevitch and the Harmonica Rascals 44 Johnny Puleo and His Harmonica Gang 54 Cad Freed and the Harmonica Harlequins 55 The Cappy Barra Harmonica Ensemble 57 The Philharmonicas 60 Johnny O'Brien and the Harmonica Hi Hats 60 Jerry Murad and the Harmonicats 61 The Mulcays 66 The Stagg McMann Trio 68
Chapter 4: The Soloists 75
Larry Adler 76 Charles Newman 84 Leo Diamond 86 Mike Chimes 87 Pete Pedersen 87 Richard Hayman 89 Alan "Blackie" Schackner 90
Chapter 5: Folk Music 95
Sonny Terry 98 Harmonica Frank Floyd 100 Peg Leg Sam 102 Mel Lyman 104 Mark Graham 107 Phil Wiggins 111
Chapter 6: Country Music 115
Dr. Humphrey Bate 117 Herman Crook 118 DeFord Bailey 122 Lonnie Glosson 129 Wayne Raney 132 Jimmie Riddle 134 Onie Wheeler 137 Charlie McCoy 138 Don Brooks 149 Mickey Raphael 151
Chapter 7: The Blues 157
Jaybird Coleman 159 The Memphis jug Bands 161 Will Shade 161 Noah Lewis 163 Jed Davenport 164 The Chicago Players 165 John Lee Williamson 165 Jazz Gillum 167 Rice Miller 168 Little Walter Jacobs 171 Walter Horton 177 Junior Wells 180 James Cotton 185 Jimmy Reed 188 Charlie Musselwhite 189 The Southern Players 196 Slim Harpo 198 The Future 199
Chapter 8: Rock and Roll 201
The British Bands 204 Bob Dylan 207 Paul Butterfield 211 Lee Oskar 216 Magic Dick 219 Kim Wilson 225
Chapter 9: Soul Music 233
Stevie Wonder 234
Chapter 10: Jazz 241
Charles Leighton 243 Don Les 249 Jean "Toots" Thielemans 253 William Galison 259 Howard Levy 263
Chapter 11: Hollywood 269
George Fields 270 Eddy Manson 274 Tommy Morgan 276
Chapter 12: Classical Music 283
John Sebastian 288 Cham Ber Huang 292 Stan Harper 297 Tommy Reilly 300 Robert Bonfiglio
Epilogue 311 Selected Discography 315 Bibliography 321
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Post by Admin on Jan 2, 2014 16:53:17 GMT -5
Along these same lines, wnat was your first harmonica, and when did you know you needed more?
My first was a Marine Band C harp, purchased at Sears-Roebuck. As long as it was jus me playing, I was fine but when I started playing with other people, I found out real quickly I needed more keys. Then, the reeds started going...
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Post by sarge on Jan 3, 2014 10:28:38 GMT -5
The special 20 is a good harp. I've had a few and they played fine. I've had a couple of golden melody harps and they are fine too, but I don't really care for equal tuning.
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Post by Admin on Jan 3, 2014 10:36:48 GMT -5
The special 20 is a good harp. I've had a few and they played fine. I've had a couple of golden melody harps and they are fine too, but I don't really care for equal tuning. Is this what you mean by "equal tuning" rsleigh.com/what-is-just-intonation/
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Post by sarge on Jan 3, 2014 21:39:17 GMT -5
Same thing as equal temperament. Equal Temperament is a way of tuning a harmonica so the melody notes will sound relatively in tune no matter what key you play in. The trade-off is that you lose the smooth harmonies. That last sentence I copied from the link you provided.
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Post by sarge on Jan 4, 2014 13:41:20 GMT -5
I want them!! They are 7 limit JI tuned. I'll send you my address and you can tell me what to send you for the shipping.
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Post by sarge on Jan 12, 2014 10:24:21 GMT -5
Those original old standbys are great harps. My Dad is 92, he started with an old standby when he was around 8 or 9, when I was 10 he gave me one and that's the harp I played for years, till they weren't made as well.
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Post by sarge on Jan 13, 2014 10:26:28 GMT -5
It seems like the players who like the 7 limit JI are players who started playing back when the harps were tuned that way. That's the tuning that they are used to playing. Those who started when compromised or equal tuning was used, that is what they like and are used to.
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Post by beat on Jan 13, 2014 18:43:22 GMT -5
It seems like the players who like the 7 limit JI are players who started playing back when the harps were tuned that way... hm. ...I never thought about it -- but that's exactly it! And if I am ever asked for the quintessential example of how 7limit JI should sound, IMO the award goes to Mighty Long Time.
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Post by sarge on Jan 13, 2014 20:26:32 GMT -5
Yeah beat, that's a good one.
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pitpony
Gold
Posts: 17
Musican: Harp
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Post by pitpony on Jan 22, 2014 16:48:39 GMT -5
Planning which harp to invest in next has been one of the factors i have really enjoyed since attempting to play the instrument. Reading reviews,separating marketing hype from facts listening to the you tube videos etc. So many times i have read that individuals will make up their own minds eventually on the piece that rocks their own boat.
I very recently took delivery of a Manji, certainly my most expensive harp purchase. To be honest i am currently finding it hard work compared to my favorite Crossover.
Why ? The Manji at the moment feels like a house brick in weight & size compared to the Crossover & needs more effort to give me a respectable note. My intention is to get used to the differences in playing requirements & there is no way that i will give up on my new purchase.
Just a terrible shame that a customer cannot have a good blow before purchase.
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Post by sarge on Jan 22, 2014 17:40:55 GMT -5
when I was a young feller, the music stores always had the Hohner display case, some stores would have Kratt harmonicas and the FR Holtz, but the big display was always Hohner and along with that they had the Hohner harmonica tester which was a bellows type thing that would blow and draw on each hole to make sure it would sound, but you couldn't play them or return them after purchase.
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